Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of heat exchangers and, more particularly, to a shell and tube heat exchanger.
Many refrigeration systems include an evaporator to facilitate heat transfer between a refrigerant and another fluid. A typical evaporator includes a shell with a plurality of tubes forming a tube bundle through which a fluid to be cooled is circulated. The refrigerant is brought into a heat exchange relationship with the tube bundle inside the shell resulting in a thermal energy transfer with the fluid to be cooled. After passing from the evaporator, the refrigerant returns to a vapor state, is passed to a compressor to be compressed to a vapor at an elevated pressure and condensed into a liquid in a second heat exchanger. The liquid is then expanded to a reduced pressure through an expansion device and then back to the evaporator to begin another refrigerant cycle. The cooled fluid is circulated to a plurality of additional heat exchangers to effect cooling of various spaces. Warmer air from each space is passed over the additional heat exchangers and cooled. The now cooler air is then returned to the respective space to achieve a desired environmental conditioning.